abc's jake tapper is covering it all from the white house. and it's clear that president obama believes he has the upper hand here. >> reporter: he sure does, george. and later today, president obama will speak to corporate executives at the business roundtable. and he'll try to enlist their help in his negotiations with congressional republicans. and his latest demand, that congress remove its own power as it stands right now, to raise the debt ceiling. it is a bold gambit that congressional republicans are already calling a non-starter. paul ryan stepped back into the spotlight late tuesday, with a feisty shot at the president. >> i congratulate him on his victory. but on january 20th, he'll face a stagnant economy and a fiscal mess. you might even say he'll inherit these problems. >> reporter: there's a lot of bah humbug in washington, d.c. these days. 'tis the season to be surly. the president told bloomberg television that without tax rates going up on the wealthiest americans, there will be no deal to avert going over the fiscal cliff.